Trailer



F. W. HOUSER..

TRAILER.

APPLICATION FILED ocT. Io. |918.'

Patente Nov. 4, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

www

Snom/Lto; 65637;

F. W. HOUSER.

TRAILER.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. I0, 1918.

Patented NOV. 4, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

FRANCIS W. HOUSER, F GEB/ING, NEBRASKA'.

TRAILER.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be itknown that I, FRANCIS W. HoUsEn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Gering, in the county of Scotts Bluff and 'State of Nebraska, have Ainvented certain l new and useful Improvementsin Trailers,

of whichthe fpllowingis .a specification.

The object of this inventinis to provide means-whereby motor-car` tourists and campers may readily transport froml place to place articles of bedding, dishes or other necessities without consuming space in the motor vehicle and thereby subjecting the occupants of the vehicle to inconvenience and discomfort. .The invention seeks to provide a portable container which may be readily coupled to an automobile so as to travel in rear of the same without excessive increase of draft The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings and will be hereinafter fullydescribed, the novel features being subseq uently particularly vpointed out `the claim.

In the drawings- Specification of Letters Patent.` I

Patented Nov. 4, 191.9.

Application filed October 10, 1918. Serial No. 257,609.

to the casin 6 at convenient points. Upon thesides of t e casing are secured sockets 8 in Which are mounted vertlcal spindles 9 having their lower ends turned outwardly to constimounted, ball bearings of any well-known type being preferably jfitted between the axles 'and the hubs of the wheels as will be readily understood. At the juncture of each spindle 9 and its axle l0, an enlarged body 12is provided which tits closel but slidably within the socket 8 and furnis es a` bearing 'for a spring 13 coiled around the spindle between the said head and the upper closed end of the socket so that the spindle and axle will be yieldably held to the ground and will be, consequently, permitted to ride over lruts or other inequalities in the surface of the road without imparting excessive vibration to the trailer. To accommodate the ver- .tical movement of the axle, the socket is pin 'or other form of stop 15 may be fitted Figure 1 is an elevation showing my improved trailer in position to folloa7 an automobile uf' Fig. 2 is.. a central vertical longitudinal section ofthe trailer;

Fig. 3 is a vperspective view showing the device arranf'gedto provide a table and illustrating the several compartments opened for access tothe contents thereof. l

Referring particularly to the drawings, the reference numeral 1 indicates the rear portion of an automobile which may be of any well-known or preferred type. In carrying out my invention, I secure tothe rear axle of the automobile a coupling head 2 which is adapted to receive a coupling head 3 on the front end of a pole 4, a coupling pin 5 being inserted thr'ough'the mating :cou-

ling heads so as to connect the same as will ile readily understood. It is also to be understood that the coupling 2 need not al-` ways be used as with some types of cars it ity 'of the pole or draw bar is attained by the use of braces 7 havin their front ends `secured tothe pole and t eir rear ends secured l through 4or on the upper end of the .spindle v 9 so as to limit the downward movementyof the same and prevents it being ejected from the socket through the expansion vof the spring 13. Y

` The trailer may be of any preferred dimensions but will preferably be rectangular havingva height approximately equal tothe height of the automobile body and a width approximately equal to the width of the au- Vtute axles 10 on which ground wheels l1 are tomob-ile body. Within the casing 6 and v near the sides of the same are longitudinal partitions 16 which extendfrom the front to the rear of vthe casing and from the top to the bottom of'the same. The spaces be- -tween the partitions and the 'respectively adjacent sides of the casing constitute cupboards in which cots or other articles may be stored and braces 17 are secured to andI tions and the vfront edges of the respectively ico i adjacent sides of the casing so as to brace the partitions, as shown, and as will be readily understood. Doors lare Secured to the top'19 of the casing by hinges 20 and are adapted to' extend over the space between 'the partitions and the sides of the casing so as to protect the stored ,articles from 'the weather and from dust, while permitting ready access to the articles when they are needed for use. Between the partitions, I provide a plurality of shelves 21 which are 'their inner edges through which perforated lugs 27 on the shelves may project when the doors are closed 1and latclr pins 28- are adapted to be inserted through the projecting ends of the said lugs so that lthe doors will be held in closed position against the shelves. To attain compactness of the parts, the doors are provided in their outer surfaces with grooves 29 to accommodate' the pins 28 and aid in preventing bending or loss of the pins. A large outer door 30 is provided to close the entire front of the trailer casing 'and this door is provided 11 on its bottom edge andy upon one side e ge with eyes 31 which are adapted to register with similar eyes 32 on one side wall and the bottom of the casing, a pin or rod 33 being provided to extend through theregistering eyes so as to hingedly-connect the doortothe casing. When the trailer is being transported it will, of course, be closed and the door 30 will then be in a vertical position extending over the front of the casn ing in which event the rod 33 will be inserted through the eyes on the side edge of the door and the side wall of the casing. Latches 34 of any convenient or preferred type will be provided at the side of the casing opposite the side carrying the eyes 32 so that the door may be secured in its upright or closed position. 4When access to the interior of the trailer is desired, these latches' will be unfastened and the door may then be swung' ina horizontal plane so as to open vthe casing as will be readily understood.

-to the bottom of the trailer.

Should it be desired to partake of a meal, the rod 33 is removed from the eyes at' the side of the trailer and inserted through the eyes at the bottom thereof so that the'lower end" of the door will be hingedly connected The latches 34 may then be unfastened and the door swung down to the position shown in Fig. 3, legs or posts 35 being tted in sockets 36 on the outer face of the door at the upper end thereof so as to support the free end of the door when it Ais lowered. A'table will thus be furnished immediately adjacent the trailer so that the table utensils may be quickly placed in position.

It is thought to be clear from the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, that I have provided an exceedingly simple,4 inexpensive and eiicientdevice whereby motor-car tourists may transport dishes and bedding without crowding the motor car and without excessively increasing the draft upon the car. The` trailer will run lclosely behind the car so that it willl follow in the path of the samev and obviously the center of gravity will be low so that it will not tend to vibrate excessively or upset. The' articles stored in the trailer will be thoroughly protected against the Weather or dust which may be raised by the motor car and yet will be readily accessible when needed for use.

Havingjthus described my invention, what is claimed as new is:

A trailer for automobiles comprising a casing having a'n open rear side, means on the front of the casing for coupling. the same to an automobile, a door adapted to close the entire rear of the casing, means for hingedly connecting said door to the casing to permit it to swing in a vertical plane or a horizontal plane, and means for supportingthe free end of theldoor when it is swung downwardly in a vertical plane.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

FRANCIS HOUSER. [1. 8.] 

